As Syracuse basketball prepares for its 2024-25 regular-season finale on Saturday night at home against Virginia, word broke on Thursday that second-year head coach Adrian Autry will return for the next campaign, according to a media report.
Hall of Fame writer Mike Waters of Syracuse.com reported on Thursday that Autry will be back for the 2025-26 stanza, per Syracuse Orange athletics director John Wildhack, who acknowledged, "We've got to fix it."
I recognize that a growing portion of the 'Cuse fan base will not love this news. As the Orange has mightily struggled in 2024-25, more and more fans have opined that they would like to see a new head coach roaming the 'Cuse sidelines next season.
Just spoke with John Wildhack and asked him about Adrian Autry’s job status.
— Steve Infanti (@SteveInfantiNC9) March 6, 2025
“Adrian will be back next year. But with that comes expectations.. we and I and Adrian… we expect our performance to be significantly, significantly better next year. We need to fix this.”
However, that won't be happening. Syracuse basketball (12-18, 6-13 in the ACC), after it hosts the Cavaliers, will play in the upcoming ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Unless the Orange wins this annual event, it will miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year.
Additionally, unless Syracuse basketball racks up some more victories in the near term, it will likely finish this season with the fewest number of wins dating back to 1969-70. That's pretty crazy stuff.
Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry will be back in the 2025-26 season.
While I'm disappointed and frustrated with how this term has fared, I'm okay with Autry returning in 2025-26. However, if the program is this bad again next season, I think it will be time for a head-coaching change.
Naturally, the Orange has to vastly improve its defense. It has to cut down on turnovers. The 'Cuse has to figure out a way to close out games, especially when it holds double-digit leads. Syracuse basketball also has to demonstrate an ability to defeat high-quality opponents.
Easier said than done, right?
A couple of points here. For one, Autry took over a program that, frankly, hasn't been all that good in recent years. He replaced a legend in the Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim.
In 2023-24, yes, the Orange missed the Big Dance, but Autry guided Syracuse basketball to 20 regular-season triumphs for the first occasion in a decade. In 2024-25, Autry and his staff have had to contend with several key injuries. I'm not making excuses, but this is something to keep in mind.
This season has proven a disaster. There's no other way to slice it. But I think you need to give Autry a total of three years before making any moves. I'd say the same about any other head coach who might have been hired to replace Boeheim.
College basketball is so different these days. NIL. Future revenue-sharing. The transfer portal's explosion. Ongoing conference realignment. It's a brave new world.
At the prep level, the 'Cuse has a top-10 national class in 2025, including a trio of four-star prospects. I adamantly believe that former NBA scout Alex Kline, who is the Orange's general manager, will be critical for a variety of reasons, including portal recruiting.
Speaking of that, once 2024-25 wraps up, we'll have to see if any current players move on via the portal. Syracuse basketball, led by Autry and Kline, has to hit a home run in the portal this off-season.
I know that some of my fellow fans want Autry gone now. I get it. For me, Autry has one more term to turn things around. Let's see if he can do it.